


The Unexpected Acquaintance

by lovegood0215



Category: The Lord of the Rings (Movies), The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: F/M, First Meetings, Fluff, One Shot, Post-War of the Ring, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-10
Updated: 2018-08-10
Packaged: 2019-06-25 14:09:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15642330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovegood0215/pseuds/lovegood0215
Summary: You were stealing Farmer Maggot’s crops when you came across another thief – the famous Meriadoc Brandybuck.





	The Unexpected Acquaintance

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Fanfiction ever, so please bear with me. I am open to any suggestions, I hope you like it!

You felt the wind gently brushing the corns in the field. The chirping of crickets and the murmuring of the river echoed in your ears. The shadowy sky hid the moon and the stars from view. You felt as if you are in a paradise. But you forced yourself back to the reality: you weren’t here for the scenery, you were here for the corns. It’s only been a month after the Battle of Bywater, and your family was in desperate need of food. Though Mister Frodo provided everyone in the Shire with plenty of supplies, being imprisoned and starved by Sharkey for a long time left you with no choice but to steal Farmer Maggot’s crops.

You were frantically searching in the dark for the best corns to bring home. Farmer Maggot’s dogs would snuff out your hobbit scent sooner or later. After a while, you were ready with a handful of big, healthy corns. You started to walk away from the center of the field, when suddenly you bumped into something. You let out a low gasp when you thought it was Maggot himself you ran into. But you sighed in relief when the dark shape cursed to himself quietly, as he didn’t sound like Maggot at all. 

You both stood there awkwardly for a second, until he did a very stupid thing: he lit up the lamp in his hand. “Hullo! I’m sorry, did I hurt you?” he asked. The stranger was wearing a cloak with a normal hobbit sweater underneath. You couldn’t see his face, but he was hugging a few cabbages, so you assumed he was here for the same reason as you were.

Your shock quickly turned into anger. You reproached him, “No you did not hurt me, not until now!”

“Why, I am certainly very sorry,” he said gently as he lifted up his hood. When he lifted the lamp closer to his face, your irritation vanished as you realized who he was. He was indeed as tall as they described him to be; his curious sapphire eyes seemed to pierce straight through you; his golden hair waved slightly to the rushing wind. The first thought that came to you was that he was really handsome. Probably more fine-looking than any hobbit you’ve ever seen.

“Dear lord, you are Meriadoc Brandybuck!” You have always heard that Mister Brandybuck was one of the most heroic figures of the Shire now days, so to meet him stealing food was certainly very surprising. “But what are you doing here, Mister Brandybuck?”

“Well, I might ask you the same thing. What is your name, and what is your business here?”

You smiled and replied, “I’m just taking some crops of Farmer Maggot, because my family is in need to food. By the way, my name is –”

Just when you were about to say your name, you heard a distant barking. Realization dawned on both of you, as Merry’s face changed from confusion to fright. You have been standing there for too long, talking loudly with a bright light source. You scolded at him, “See now what you’ve done! You’ve woken up Maggot’s dogs with your ridiculous lamp!”

Merry opened his mouth to apologize again, but you shut him up and said, “No time, run with me! I know which direction to go!” In fact, you didn’t know where to go, but you took his hand anyway, which was, unexpectedly, very warm.

Together the two of you dashed through rows and rows of crops. Merry’s lantern was the only guidance in the misty night. You ran for a very long time, and you could hear only your heart beating mingled with the barking that was getting nearer every second. Unlike the elves, hobbit feet are not meant for sprinting. Farmer Maggot’s dogs were catching up, and you knew they could outrun you any minute, but you kept going. Your mind started to buzz, and your vision was getting dimmer. When you glanced towards Merry at your side, you were shocked at how calm he was. But you remembered that he had killed a monster named Nazgûl before, as everyone in the Shire knew. How could a simple country folk have such courage to slay the most fearful creature? From the moment you heard about Merry’s epic tale, you admired him. And now you do so even more. His blue eyes blazed with determination; his hand firmly grasping yours. The more you observed Merry, the more you liked about him.

“Wait, stop!” Merry’s scream woke you up from your daydream. You halted and peered forward. Fear gripped you when you realized there weren’t any road before you. Merry and you were standing right before the edge of a cliff. Falling off a cliff was definitely not on your to-do-list. You turned, intending to find another route to escape. But when you span back you found five huge dogs glowering at you. They were as huge as the biggest hobbits, and their wicked eyes were filled with hunger.

“Uh oh, this is bad.” Merry whispered to himself. The creatures advanced on you slowly, causing Merry and you to back up. You were sweating, and with each step you took, the more afraid you were. Suddenly your right foot tripped over a rock, which made you sway backwards. You lost balance, and your left foot stepped into the air. Your body tumbled backwards, and your stomach churned. Time seemed to have stopped entirely as you glanced at Merry, who was yelling at you. But you couldn’t hear a word of what he said. You felt your consciousness ebbing away and your eyelids growing heavy as you fell from the precipice, still with the corns in your hands. You felt so exhausted suddenly, and all you wanted to do was to sleep. I hope I have a decent dream, you thought before the world went into complete darkness.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

You woke up to the sun shining in your face and the sound of birds chirping. You’ve had a very peculiar dream yesterday. Stealing corns in Farmer Maggot’s field, and meeting the renowned Meriadoc Brandybuck. Ha, how ridiculous! But suddenly you realized you were not lying on your bed, but on the ground with soil. You looked up and saw a precipice looming above you. You studied your surrounding around you for a while. “Oh my! It wasn’t a dream,” you cried to yourself, “It was all real!” You sat up abruptly as the events last night flooded back into your mind. “Wait a minute, where is Merry?” you cried out loud. You didn’t remember anything after you plummeted onto the ground. As if to answer your question, someone groaned near you. You found that he was lying down not far away from you. You scrambled up and wiped off the mud on your clothes. Your body ached so much that you found it quite difficult to walk. You stumbled to the unconscious hobbit, and indeed he was Merry. He was curled up in a ball with a lovely smile on his face. He must be dreaming about something nice, you thought. You wanted to watch him sleep forever, but you told yourself that was a very selfish thing to do.

“Mister Brandybuck! Please wake up!” After several attempts, Merry mumbled something, and suddenly his blue eyes fluttered open. 

His expression transformed from contentment to bewilderment as his eyes widened in confusion. “Where is she?” he gasped as he sat up.

“It’s alright, I’m here.” You assured him. Merry turned towards you, and seeing that you are okay, he sighed in relief.

“What did you do after I –” you started to ask, but he cut you off.

“I went after you. After all there was no other choice but to jump. Besides, I wanted to make sure that you were okay,” Merry said, squinting his eyes, as if remembering something. managed to stand up, but with some difficulties. “I think I only have a few scratches… how about you?” he looked at you, concerned.

“I’m fine, I think the wounds will heal soon. Dear lord, what time is it?” You suddenly remembered that your Ma still needed you at home.

Merry pondered for a bit, looking up at the sun. “Must be a bit past 10. Most folks probably just finished second breakfast.”

You were very worried now. Your Ma would want you back there, as your brother was gone visiting Mister Gamgee early in the morning. “I need to go, Mister Brandybuck. I have to go back to my Ma.” You felt yourself blush for some reason. Unwillingly, you said goodbye to Merry quickly. 

“Wait! You haven’t told me your name yet.” Merry asked, “And where do you live?” 

You giggled and blushed, realizing his point. You turned back to him again, and held out your hand. “How silly of me! I’m Y/N, and I live in Hobbiton, near Mister Frodo. It was certainly very unexpected to bump into you here.”

Merry grinned and you saw his face was pink. “Well, disturbing Farmer Maggot has become a hobby of mine recently,” he paused for a bit, as if considering a question. “By the way, do you, umm, fancy in bumping into me again sometime? Maybe for afternoon tea next Monday?”

You couldn’t believe that Merry Brandybuck just said he want to have tea with you. You found yourself to be speechless and you noticed Merry was still looking at you, expecting for an answer. “Umm, sure. I mean yes of course!” Your heart was filled with joy that you were going to see Merry again soon.

You started to leave, when Merry said teasingly behind you, “Aren’t you forgetting your corns?” You stopped and smiled. You took the stolen crops from Merry, and for a moment your eyes met. You had the sudden urge to kiss him on the lips, but you resisted the temptation. You stood there wondering if he could read your feelings about him, and if he really felt the same about you. It seemed like forever until you broke the silence.

“See you soon,” you said softly. 

He laughed gleefully, “Yes, next Monday! Bye-bye.”

You smirked to yourself and turned away from him. It took a long time for you to walk (limp, to be more accurate) back to Hobbiton, but nonetheless, you enjoyed the trip. You were humming cheerfully. Your thought often went back to the unexpected acquaintance you made last night. You had to admit you were really looking forward to meeting Merry on Monday. When you arrived to your doorsteps, it was already dinnertime. 

“Well,” you chuckled, “it’s time to get ready for Ma’s grumbles again.”


End file.
